The Dhoad gypsies from Rajasthan performed at the Madison World Music Festival in Sep' 07. Some of us were lucky enough to be there for their scintillating performance!
The hooting is us and though the camera didn't capture it, the gypsies had us captured - we danced deranged ON the stage , falling over the musicians...
They also performed tricks!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
More Ta-Gore
Where The Mind is Without Fear
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free...
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments,
By narrow domestic walls.
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way,
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Where the mind is led forward by thee,
Into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
-Rabindranath Tagore
indeed !
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free...
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments,
By narrow domestic walls.
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way,
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Where the mind is led forward by thee,
Into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
-Rabindranath Tagore
indeed !
If...
Kipling says it all...
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
-Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
-Rudyard Kipling
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Ami chini go chini
Another translation attempt (despite my shaky Bangla)...
Ami chini go chini tomare o go bideshini,
Tumi thaako shindhu paare o go bideshini!
Dekhechi sharodo-praate tomar,
Dekhechi madhobi-raate tomar,
Dekhechi hride majhare,
O go bideshini.
Ami aakashe patiya kaan,
Sunechi sunechi tomare gaan,
Ami tomare sopechi praan,
O go bideshini!
I know you, know you O’ foreigner lady,
You live across the ocean O’ foreigner lady!
I have seen you on autumn mornings,
I’ve seen you on madhavi nights,
And I’ve envisioned you at the core of my heart.
I turn to the sky and listen to you,
I have often heard your songs,
And my soul is yours to keep.
I entrust you with it O’ foreigner lady!
Bhubhon bhramiya sheshe,
Ami ayeshechi nooton deshe,
Ami otithi tomare daare,
O go bideshini!
I’ve traveled far and wide,
To arrive in a new land,
I'm a guest at your doorstep...
O’ foreigner lady!
- Rabindranath Tagore
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
MP's Interview With Sir Edward Ross
(Monty Python's Flying Circus)
Transcribed By: Jonathan Partington
Eric Idle: Good evening and welcome to another edition of It's the Arts.And we
kick off this evening with Cinema.
Host (John Cleese): Good evening. One of the most prolific film directors of
this age, or indeed of any age, is Sir Edward Ross, back
in his native country for the first time for five years
to open a season of his works at the National Film
Theatre, and we are indeed fortunate to have him with us
in this studio tonight.
Ross (Graham Chapman): Good evening.
Host: Edward... you don't mind if I call you Edward?
Ross: No, not at all.
Host: Because it does worry some people - I don't know why - but they are a
little sensitive so I take the precaution of asking on these occasions.
Ross: No, that's fine.
Host: So Edward's all right. Splendid. I'm sorry to have brought it up.
Ross: No, no, please. Edward it is.
Host: Well thank you very much for being so helpful. And it's more than my
job's worth to, er...
Ross: Yes, quite.
Host: Makes it rather difficult to establish a rapport - put the other person
at his ease...
Ross: Quite.
Host: Silly little point but it does seem to matter. Still, er, least said
the better. Ted, when you first started you... I hope you don't mind
if I call you Ted, er, I mean as opposed to Edward?
Ross: No, no, everyone calls me Ted.
Host: Well of course it's shorter, isn't it.
Ross: Yes it is.
Host: And much less formal!
Ross: Yes, Ted, Edward or anything!
Host: Thank you. Um, incidentally, do call me Tom. I don't want you bothering
with this 'Thomas' nonsense! Ha ha ha ha! Now where were we? Ah yes.
Eddie Baby, when you first started in the...
Ross: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: What?
Ross: I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: (pause) Did I call you "Eddie Baby"?
Ross: Yes, you did! Now if you could get on with the interview...
Host: I don't think I did call you "Eddie Baby".
Ross: You did!
Host: Did I call him "Eddie Baby"?
(Audience murmurs of 'yes' etc.)
Host: I didn't really call you "Eddie Baby", did I, sweetie?
Ross: Don't call me "sweetie"!
Host: Can I call you "sugar plum"?
Ross: No.
Host: "Pussycat"?
Ross: No!
Host: "Angel drawers"?
Ross: No you may not! Get on with it!
Host: Can I call you "Frank"?
Ross (suspiciously): Why "Frank"?
Host: It's a nice name. Richard Nixon's got a hedgehog called Frank.
Ross: What IS going on?
Host: Now Frank -- Fran -- Frannie -- little Frannie-pooh...
Ross: No. I'm leaving. I'm off. I'm going. I've never... (exits)
Host (loudly): Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward.
Ross (nearly offstage): What?
Host: Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward, if you'd be so very kind.
Ross: None of this "Pussycat" nonsense?
Host: Promise. (Pats seat next to him.) Please, Sir Edward.
Ross: My latest film?
Host: Yes, Sir Edward.
Ross: Well the idea, funnily enough, is based on an idea I had when I first
joined the industry in 1919. Of course, in those days I was only the
tea boy and...
Host: Oh shut up!
Transcribed By: Jonathan Partington
Eric Idle: Good evening and welcome to another edition of It's the Arts.And we
kick off this evening with Cinema.
Host (John Cleese): Good evening. One of the most prolific film directors of
this age, or indeed of any age, is Sir Edward Ross, back
in his native country for the first time for five years
to open a season of his works at the National Film
Theatre, and we are indeed fortunate to have him with us
in this studio tonight.
Ross (Graham Chapman): Good evening.
Host: Edward... you don't mind if I call you Edward?
Ross: No, not at all.
Host: Because it does worry some people - I don't know why - but they are a
little sensitive so I take the precaution of asking on these occasions.
Ross: No, that's fine.
Host: So Edward's all right. Splendid. I'm sorry to have brought it up.
Ross: No, no, please. Edward it is.
Host: Well thank you very much for being so helpful. And it's more than my
job's worth to, er...
Ross: Yes, quite.
Host: Makes it rather difficult to establish a rapport - put the other person
at his ease...
Ross: Quite.
Host: Silly little point but it does seem to matter. Still, er, least said
the better. Ted, when you first started you... I hope you don't mind
if I call you Ted, er, I mean as opposed to Edward?
Ross: No, no, everyone calls me Ted.
Host: Well of course it's shorter, isn't it.
Ross: Yes it is.
Host: And much less formal!
Ross: Yes, Ted, Edward or anything!
Host: Thank you. Um, incidentally, do call me Tom. I don't want you bothering
with this 'Thomas' nonsense! Ha ha ha ha! Now where were we? Ah yes.
Eddie Baby, when you first started in the...
Ross: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: What?
Ross: I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: (pause) Did I call you "Eddie Baby"?
Ross: Yes, you did! Now if you could get on with the interview...
Host: I don't think I did call you "Eddie Baby".
Ross: You did!
Host: Did I call him "Eddie Baby"?
(Audience murmurs of 'yes' etc.)
Host: I didn't really call you "Eddie Baby", did I, sweetie?
Ross: Don't call me "sweetie"!
Host: Can I call you "sugar plum"?
Ross: No.
Host: "Pussycat"?
Ross: No!
Host: "Angel drawers"?
Ross: No you may not! Get on with it!
Host: Can I call you "Frank"?
Ross (suspiciously): Why "Frank"?
Host: It's a nice name. Richard Nixon's got a hedgehog called Frank.
Ross: What IS going on?
Host: Now Frank -- Fran -- Frannie -- little Frannie-pooh...
Ross: No. I'm leaving. I'm off. I'm going. I've never... (exits)
Host (loudly): Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward.
Ross (nearly offstage): What?
Host: Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward, if you'd be so very kind.
Ross: None of this "Pussycat" nonsense?
Host: Promise. (Pats seat next to him.) Please, Sir Edward.
Ross: My latest film?
Host: Yes, Sir Edward.
Ross: Well the idea, funnily enough, is based on an idea I had when I first
joined the industry in 1919. Of course, in those days I was only the
tea boy and...
Host: Oh shut up!
Monty Python's Argument Sketch
(Monty Python's Flying Circus)
A man walks into an office.
Man: Good morning, I'd like to have an argument, please.
Receptionist: Certainly, sir. Have you been here before?
Man: No, this is my first time.
Receptionist: I see, well we'll see who's free at the moment.
Mr. Bakely's free, but he's a little bit concilliatory. No.
Try Mr. Barnhart, room 12.
Man: Thank you.
He enters room 12.
Angry man: WHADDAYOU WANT?
Man: Well, Well, I was told outside that...
Angry man: DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SNOTTY-FACED EVIL PAN OF DROPPINGS!
Man: What?
A: SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOB, YOU TIT! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS
STUFFY-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!
M: Yes, but I came here for an argument!!
A: OH! Oh! I'm sorry! This is abuse!
M: Oh! Oh I see!
A: Aha! No, you want room 12A, next door.
M: Oh...Sorry...
A: Not at all!
A: (under his breath) stupid git.
The man goes into room 12A. Another man is sitting behind a desk.
Man: Is this the right room for an argument?
Other Man:(pause) I've told you once.
Man: No you haven't!
Other Man: Yes I have.
M: When?
O: Just now.
M: No you didn't!
O: Yes I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I'm telling you, I did!
M: You didn't!
O: Oh I'm sorry, is this a five minute argument, or the full half hour?
M: Ah! (taking out his wallet and paying) Just the five minutes.
O: Just the five minutes. Thank you.
O: Anyway, I did.
M: You most certainly did not!
O: Now let's get one thing perfectly clear: I most definitely told you!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh look, this isn't an argument!
(pause)
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
(pause)
M: It's just contradiction!
O: No it isn't!
M: It IS!
O: It is NOT!
M: You just contradicted me!
O: No I didn't!
M: You DID!
O: No no no!
M: You did just then!
O: Nonsense!
M: (exasperated) Oh, this is futile!!
(pause)
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is!
(pause)
M: I came here for a good argument!
O: AH, no you didn't, you came here for an argument!
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
O: Well! it CAN be!
M: No it can't!
M: An argument is a connected series of statement intended to establish a
proposition.
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is! 'tisn't just contradiction.
O: Look, if I *argue* with you, I must take up a contrary position!
M: Yes but it isn't just saying "no it isn't".
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just
the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.
O: It is NOT!
M: It is!
O: Not at all!
M: It is!
The Arguer hits a bell on his desk and stops.
O: Thank you, that's it.
M: (stunned) What?
O: That's it. Good morning.
M: But I was just getting interested!
O: I'm sorry, the five minutes is up.
M: That was never five minutes!!
O: I'm afraid it was.
M: (leading on) No it wasn't.....
O: I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more.
M: WHAT??
O: If you want me to go on arguing, you'll have to pay for another five
minutes.
M: But that was never five minutes just now!
Oh Come on!
Oh this is...
This is ridiculous!
O: I told you...
I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you PAY!
M: Oh all right. (takes out his wallet and pays again.) There you are.
O: Thank you.
M: (clears throat) Well...
O: Well WHAT?
M: That was never five minutes just now.
O: I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid!
M: Well I just paid!
O: No you didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I-dbct-fd-tq! I don't want to argue about it!
O: Well I'm very sorry but you didn't pay!
M: Ah hah! Well if I didn't pay, why are you arguing??? Ah HAAAAAAHHH!
Gotcha!
O: No you haven't!
M: Yes I have!
If you're arguing, I must have paid.
O: Not necessarily.
I *could* be arguing in my spare time.
M: I've had enough of this!
O: No you haven't.
(door slam)
A man walks into an office.
Man: Good morning, I'd like to have an argument, please.
Receptionist: Certainly, sir. Have you been here before?
Man: No, this is my first time.
Receptionist: I see, well we'll see who's free at the moment.
Mr. Bakely's free, but he's a little bit concilliatory. No.
Try Mr. Barnhart, room 12.
Man: Thank you.
He enters room 12.
Angry man: WHADDAYOU WANT?
Man: Well, Well, I was told outside that...
Angry man: DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SNOTTY-FACED EVIL PAN OF DROPPINGS!
Man: What?
A: SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOB, YOU TIT! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS
STUFFY-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!
M: Yes, but I came here for an argument!!
A: OH! Oh! I'm sorry! This is abuse!
M: Oh! Oh I see!
A: Aha! No, you want room 12A, next door.
M: Oh...Sorry...
A: Not at all!
A: (under his breath) stupid git.
The man goes into room 12A. Another man is sitting behind a desk.
Man: Is this the right room for an argument?
Other Man:(pause) I've told you once.
Man: No you haven't!
Other Man: Yes I have.
M: When?
O: Just now.
M: No you didn't!
O: Yes I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I'm telling you, I did!
M: You didn't!
O: Oh I'm sorry, is this a five minute argument, or the full half hour?
M: Ah! (taking out his wallet and paying) Just the five minutes.
O: Just the five minutes. Thank you.
O: Anyway, I did.
M: You most certainly did not!
O: Now let's get one thing perfectly clear: I most definitely told you!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh look, this isn't an argument!
(pause)
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
(pause)
M: It's just contradiction!
O: No it isn't!
M: It IS!
O: It is NOT!
M: You just contradicted me!
O: No I didn't!
M: You DID!
O: No no no!
M: You did just then!
O: Nonsense!
M: (exasperated) Oh, this is futile!!
(pause)
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is!
(pause)
M: I came here for a good argument!
O: AH, no you didn't, you came here for an argument!
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
O: Well! it CAN be!
M: No it can't!
M: An argument is a connected series of statement intended to establish a
proposition.
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is! 'tisn't just contradiction.
O: Look, if I *argue* with you, I must take up a contrary position!
M: Yes but it isn't just saying "no it isn't".
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just
the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.
O: It is NOT!
M: It is!
O: Not at all!
M: It is!
The Arguer hits a bell on his desk and stops.
O: Thank you, that's it.
M: (stunned) What?
O: That's it. Good morning.
M: But I was just getting interested!
O: I'm sorry, the five minutes is up.
M: That was never five minutes!!
O: I'm afraid it was.
M: (leading on) No it wasn't.....
O: I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more.
M: WHAT??
O: If you want me to go on arguing, you'll have to pay for another five
minutes.
M: But that was never five minutes just now!
Oh Come on!
Oh this is...
This is ridiculous!
O: I told you...
I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you PAY!
M: Oh all right. (takes out his wallet and pays again.) There you are.
O: Thank you.
M: (clears throat) Well...
O: Well WHAT?
M: That was never five minutes just now.
O: I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid!
M: Well I just paid!
O: No you didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I-dbct-fd-tq! I don't want to argue about it!
O: Well I'm very sorry but you didn't pay!
M: Ah hah! Well if I didn't pay, why are you arguing??? Ah HAAAAAAHHH!
Gotcha!
O: No you haven't!
M: Yes I have!
If you're arguing, I must have paid.
O: Not necessarily.
I *could* be arguing in my spare time.
M: I've had enough of this!
O: No you haven't.
(door slam)
"Vellai Pookal" (UW Diwali Night)
The translation from Tamil is courtesy of amigo Hari Gopalakrishnan.
VeLLai PookaL ulagam engum malarhavae
May white flowers bloom all over the world
vidiyum Bhoomi amaidhikaaga vidihavae
May this earth see the dawn only for peace
manmel manjal veluchcham vizhuhavae
May the soil be illuminated by yellow light
malarae sombal muRiththu ezhuhavae
May the flower shake off its laziness and bloom
kuzhanthai vizhikattumae
May the child open its eyes...
Thaayin katha kathappil
...in the warmth of its mother
ulagam vidiyattumae
May the world see the light...
piLLayin sirumugha siRippil
..in the child's innocent smile
kaatrin perisaiyil,
In the breeze's great melody,
mazhai paadum paadalgalum,
would even the tunes played by the raindrops..
oru maunam poal inbam tarumooOO?
..be as blissful as silence?
koadi keertanayum,
Would the countless great compositions,
kavi koartha vaarthaigalum,
or even the beautiful words chosen by a poet
thuLi kaNNeer poal arththam tharumo?
..be as meaningful as a single drop of tear?
yengu siru kuzhanthai
Where the little child..
than kaigal neetidumo,
Shall reach out with its hands,
angu thondrayo koLLai nilavae!
May the beautiful moon appear there!
enghu manidha Inam,
Where mankind..
poar oyinthu sayinthidumo,
Shall cease fighting,
angu koovadho veLLai kuyilae?
Won't the white bird sing there?
Composition - AR Rehman
Lyrics Vairamuthu
From Movie Kannathil Muthamittal
VeLLai PookaL ulagam engum malarhavae
May white flowers bloom all over the world
vidiyum Bhoomi amaidhikaaga vidihavae
May this earth see the dawn only for peace
manmel manjal veluchcham vizhuhavae
May the soil be illuminated by yellow light
malarae sombal muRiththu ezhuhavae
May the flower shake off its laziness and bloom
kuzhanthai vizhikattumae
May the child open its eyes...
Thaayin katha kathappil
...in the warmth of its mother
ulagam vidiyattumae
May the world see the light...
piLLayin sirumugha siRippil
..in the child's innocent smile
kaatrin perisaiyil,
In the breeze's great melody,
mazhai paadum paadalgalum,
would even the tunes played by the raindrops..
oru maunam poal inbam tarumooOO?
..be as blissful as silence?
koadi keertanayum,
Would the countless great compositions,
kavi koartha vaarthaigalum,
or even the beautiful words chosen by a poet
thuLi kaNNeer poal arththam tharumo?
..be as meaningful as a single drop of tear?
yengu siru kuzhanthai
Where the little child..
than kaigal neetidumo,
Shall reach out with its hands,
angu thondrayo koLLai nilavae!
May the beautiful moon appear there!
enghu manidha Inam,
Where mankind..
poar oyinthu sayinthidumo,
Shall cease fighting,
angu koovadho veLLai kuyilae?
Won't the white bird sing there?
Composition - AR Rehman
Lyrics Vairamuthu
From Movie Kannathil Muthamittal
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
"Said A Whiting To A Snail"
"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance--
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France--
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'
-Lewis Carroll (who else?)
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance--
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France--
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'
-Lewis Carroll (who else?)
Father William
You Are Old, Father William
"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."
"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray what is the reason for that?"
"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling a box--
Allow me to sell you a couple?"
"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."
"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.
- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."
"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray what is the reason for that?"
"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling a box--
Allow me to sell you a couple?"
"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."
"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.
- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
' Twas Brillig
Jabberwocky
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Darker Side of Happy Pills
Variant genes increase suicidal thoughts
By: Jigyasa Jyotika /The Daily Cardinal
New study begins to unravel the dark side of antidepressants
Although most people are knowledgeable about the positive effects of antidepressants (a.k.a. “happy pills”), far fewer are aware of the dark side of these drugs—the same pills prescribed to help make patients happy may be leading some patients to suicide.
Researchers and doctors became increasingly alarmed during 2004 when studies suggested antidepressants increased the risk of suicide in some adolescents and children. As a result of these studies, the Food and Drug Administration required all antidepressant medications to carry “black box warnings,” alerting parents and patients of the risks associated with taking antidepressants.
While scientists have continued to struggle to make sense of the paradoxical relationship between the use of antidepressants and increased rates of suicide since 2004, this October, researchers at the National Institutes of Mental Health discovered two genes that may help to explain this link.
In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind to date, researchers at NIMH found that the inheritance of one or two genes increased the likelihood of suicidal thoughts among patients taking an antidepressant called citalopram between two- to 15- times compared to those who did not share similar genes.
“This study is a step forward in individualizing depression treatment for patients identified as high-risk for suicides,” said Michael Peterson, a UW-Madison instructor of psychiatry.
Citalopram, a drug within the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor family, works to decrease feelings of depression by preventing the recycling of the “happy hormone” serotonin, which results in higher serotonin levels in the brain. According to Peterson, SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants.
Scientists from the NIMH looked at 68 suspect genes in more than 1,900 adults with major depression who were treated with citalopram. Based upon patient reports of suicidal thoughts and genetic code variation among the 68 suspected genes, the researchers narrowed their search to two variable gene sequences, or “markers.”
“A small variation in the sequence of these genes is what seems to predispose some people more than others to suicidal thoughts while taking the drug,” said Gonzalo Laje, a co-author of the study.
While participants with only one of two genetic variants were two- to eight-times as likely as those without variants to develop suicidal thoughts while taking citalopram, a NIMH press release reported those with both variants—an extremely rare phenomenon—were 15 times as likely to report suicidal thoughts.
Researchers also found gene variants were not related to self-reported history of suicide attempts, suggesting the genetic variations leading to suicidal thoughts were occurring during antidepressant treatment, not outside treatment.
Overall, 59 percent of the patients who had suicidal thoughts had at least one of the variable gene versions. This still left out 41 percent of the participants, who developed suicidal thoughts without either variant, indicating that other genes and environmental factors may also be involved.
In the future, the NIMH plans to begin to attempt to understand why the identified genetic variations are leading to increased suicidal thoughts among people who take citalopram and if similar variations could be linked to increased suicidal thoughts among people on other antidepressants.
“It remains unclear at this point why we see what we see,” Laje said.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
"Anything that doesn't matter has no mass"
Limericks began in Limerick City, Ireland
There was an old lady called Wright,
Who could travel much faster than light,
She departed one day in a relative way and returned on the previous night.
A Short History of Medicine
I have an earache:
2000 B.C. -Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. -That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. -That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. -That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. -That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D . -That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.
Quotables
Copernicus' parents : "Copernicus, young man, when are you going to come to terms with the fact that the world does not revolve around you?"
Physicist : Anything that doesn't matter has no mass.
Cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu adds: It's all about mind and matter; I don't mind and you don't matter.
A biologist is only a lab rat's way of making another lab rat .
- Random Rat
Sigh-ence
The transplant had finally started.
The incision was carefully charted.
The dog was just sliced,
And the chicken was spliced,
And the dog is now chicken-hearted.
Q: How many physicists specializing in general relativity does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to hold the bulb and one to rotate the universe.
A little neurological put down: You've only got two neurons--and one of them's inhibitory.
Newsflash: Physicists have embarked on their own product safety campaign, recommending that manufacturers provide consumers with all of the following labels:
WARNING: Due to its heavy mass, this product warps the space surrounding it. No health hazards are yet known to be associated with effect.
NOTE: This product may actually be nine-dimensional but, if this is the case, functionality is not affected by the extra six dimensions.
NOTE: A subatomic "glue" holds the fundamental constituents of this product together. Since the exact nature of this glue is not yet fully understood, its adhesive power cannot be guaranteed. To date, no known malfunction of the product has resulted from glue failure.
What do biologists do when they have twins?
Baptize one and keep the other as a control.
Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
A: Chickens hadn't evolved yet.
Support bacteria - it's the only culture some people have!
Q: What tool is used to measure a hole in the head?
A: A Phineas gage.
(Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who was in charge of explosives which blew up in his face, driving the iron through the frontal lobe of his brain. He survived, to the total astonishment of the doctor, but with a radically altered personality, thus becoming the first victim of an accidental frontal lobotomy.) More at : http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/origins/phineas.html
Or borrow a copy of " The Emerging Mind" by renowned Neurobiologist VS Ramachandran from me.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
And Heaven and Nature Sing...
Richard Clayderman's Ballad Pour Adeline :
Richard Clayderman's Starlight Serenade :
Ross Daly's Rababa Sarangi Duet :
Edith Piaf's Milord (Me Lord) :
Richard Clayderman's Starlight Serenade :
Ross Daly's Rababa Sarangi Duet :
Edith Piaf's Milord (Me Lord) :
Cheb Mami (When Less is More....)
[ lai......... lai… lai… aa^ … pa … aa^ … pa… ma… pa…
lalima de afrina de nin hau husain' wah^ ho ya ho ya husain di^ di^
de nin hau husain' wah^ ho ya ho ya husain di^ di^
de nin hau husain' wah…….. ali ya husain di di]
I dream of rain {yele e yele} [ husain wah^]
I dream of gardens in the desert sand [hus…ain wah ]
I wake in pain {yele e yele} [husain wah……… ]
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire {yele e yele} [oo…. oo……]
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in my flames {yele e yele} [ ho ho ho……]
Her shadows play in the shape of man's desire
This desert rose {yele e yele}
Each of her veils a secret promise
This desert flower {yele e yele}
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this { 5 }
And now she turns {yele e yele}
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns {yele e yele}
I realize that nothing's as it seems
I dream of rain {yele e yele} [ ho ho…… ho]
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain {yele e yele}
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of rain {yele e yele}
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of her love
[Aa ma na ma na ma na ma na na ma
aa……. Pa…….
aa …………
aa^ ………
aa^………
aa…………]
[lai….. ma^…. pa ma^ …. pa ma pa ]
{yeh………} I dream of rain {yele e yele} [husain wah^]
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain {yele e yele} [ husain wa……]
I dream of love as time runs through my hand [I wa^…..ke in pain]
This desert rose {yele e yele}
Each of her veils a secret promise + [veils a secret prom.……]
This desert flower {yele e yele} + [o^……….]
No sweet perfume ever for tortured me more than this +
Sweet desert rose {yele e yele} + [swwee…… desert rose yele e yele]
This momery of eden haunts as all +[ of eden haunts……..]
This desert flower this rare perfume +[This desert flower this rare per^...fume]
Is the sweet intoxication of her fall. +[Is the sweet intoxication of her fall]
[he oo……… he oo…….. he oo…….
ali ya…… mohomadali….
ali ya………. mohomadali
ya…………
yo………. ………...]
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Kahat Kabir: Haman Hai Ishq Mastana
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/6429SCbF1S.As1NMvHdW/
Haman hai ishq mastana,
Haman ko hoshiyari kya?
Rahe azad ya jag mein,
Haman duniya se yaari kya?
I am bursting with love,
Why do I need to be careful?
Being free in the world,
What of the world’s friendship do I need?
Haven't found a translation for the rest yet..
Haman hai ishq mastana,
Haman ko hoshiyari kya?
Rahe azad ya jag mein,
Haman duniya se yaari kya?
I am bursting with love,
Why do I need to be careful?
Being free in the world,
What of the world’s friendship do I need?
Haven't found a translation for the rest yet..
Jo bichude hain piyare se,
Bhatakte dar badar phirte,
Haman hai ishq mastana,
Haman ko hoshiyari kya?
Hamara yaar hai humme,
Haman ko intazaari kya?
Na pal bichude piya hum se,
Na hum bichude piyare se.
Haman hai ishq mastana,
Haman ko hoshiyari kya?
Unhi se neh laga hai,
Haman ko bekarari kya?
Kabira ishq ka mata,
Dui ko dur kar dil se.
Jo chalna rah nazuk hai,
Haman sar bojh bhari kya?
Bavra Mann : Mera Pahla Anuvaad Prayaas
Bavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
The insane mind wanders off into a dream,
Bavre Se Mann, Ki Dekho Bavri Hain Baatein
Bavri Se Dhadkaane Hain, Bavri Hain Saansen
The insane words of the insane mind…
Insane are its heartbeats, Insane are its breaths.
Bavri Si Karwaton Se, Nindiya Door Bhaage
Insane restless nights that drive sleep away…
Bavre Se Nain Chaahe, Bavre Jharokhon Se, Bavre Nazaron Ko Takna.
Insane eyes seek insane images through insane windows.
Bavre Se Is Jahan Main Bavra Ek Saath Ho
Is Sayani Bheed Main Bas Haathon Mein Tera Haath Ho
Bavri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Bavra Ek Raag Ho
Bavre Se Pair Chahen, Baavron Tarano Ke, Bavre Se Bol Pe Thirakna.
In this insane world, Wishing for insane company,
Your hand be in mine in this maddening crowd,
Insane be the tune, Insane be the melody,
Insane feet moving to the insane notes of an insane song.
Bavra Sa Ho Andhera, Bavri Khamoshiyan
Thartharati Low Ho Maddham, Bavri Madhoshiyan
Bavra Ek Ghoonghta Chahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataye, Bavre Se Mukhde Se Sarakana,
Insane be the darkness, Insane be the silences,
Soft be the glow of the flickering flame, Insane intoxication,
An insane veil slips slowly, surreptitiously from an insane face.
Ashiq Bekhabar Manam (Abida Parveen)
Aashiq e BeKhabar Manam,
Mann Na Manam , Na Mann Manam,
Arif e Baa Hunar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
In Love, lost to the world, I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Realised as a soul I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Soze Dil o Jigar Manam,
Vehshat e Pardadar Manam,
Danish e Bakhiya Gar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
A flame in love, I am,
Restless in solitude, I am,
The all knowing healer, I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Husn o Jamaal e Haq Manam,
Ijz o Jalaal e Haq Manam,
Hashmat o Jaah o Far Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The beauty of Truth;
Its magnanimity, I am
I am its grandeur,
It's splendour I am
Sufi e Baa Safa Manam,
Be Khud o Ba Khuda Manam,
Ahl e Dil o Nazar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The purest of the pure,
I am with him, Yet without him I am,
The heart and vision,
I am, Yet, I am not
Isa e Maryami Manam
Ahmad e Hashmi Manam,
Haider e Sher e Nar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
Mary's Christ, I am,
I am, Ahmad of Hashim,
I am of Ali the bravest of the brave,
I am, Yet I am not
Raaz o Niyaaz e Khud Manam,
Soz o Gudaaz e Khuda Manam,
Karda Qadam Ba Sar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The keeper of inner secrets, I am,
I am, the reflection of my anguish
He who moves on his head,
I am, Yet, I am not
Mann Na Manam , Na Mann Manam,
Arif e Baa Hunar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
In Love, lost to the world, I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Realised as a soul I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Soze Dil o Jigar Manam,
Vehshat e Pardadar Manam,
Danish e Bakhiya Gar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
A flame in love, I am,
Restless in solitude, I am,
The all knowing healer, I am,
I am not, Yet, I am
Husn o Jamaal e Haq Manam,
Ijz o Jalaal e Haq Manam,
Hashmat o Jaah o Far Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The beauty of Truth;
Its magnanimity, I am
I am its grandeur,
It's splendour I am
Sufi e Baa Safa Manam,
Be Khud o Ba Khuda Manam,
Ahl e Dil o Nazar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The purest of the pure,
I am with him, Yet without him I am,
The heart and vision,
I am, Yet, I am not
Isa e Maryami Manam
Ahmad e Hashmi Manam,
Haider e Sher e Nar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
Mary's Christ, I am,
I am, Ahmad of Hashim,
I am of Ali the bravest of the brave,
I am, Yet I am not
Raaz o Niyaaz e Khud Manam,
Soz o Gudaaz e Khuda Manam,
Karda Qadam Ba Sar Manam,
Mann Na Manam, Na Mann Manam
The keeper of inner secrets, I am,
I am, the reflection of my anguish
He who moves on his head,
I am, Yet, I am not
"Reality Is Just Theory For This Bunch"
From neurobiologists to physicists with love...
I can never get over how good this is!
The Fate of the Universe
You physicists have become annoying
You can't seem to make up your minds
Did everything come from nothing
Or was nothing all there was to find?
What was that first singularity
And what made it start to inflate?
You say a vacuum is not really empty
As long as energy potentiates?
At time zero there was zero space
But fluctuation took care of that
Now there's space of an ill-defined shape
That's full of live/dead cats.
Continuing on you tell us
That we're here cause CP ain't conserved
I never thought of myself as a leftover
This is becoming absurd.
But the universe is here now
At least part of it, I guess,
How is it you can't find the dark matter
To account for the missing mass?
And what is this dark energy
Permeating like a fog?
Einstein was shamed by his fudge factor
But you've brought it back in vogue.
The news from Canada is distressing
There are too few neutrinos from the sun
But physicists aren't constrained by facts
They'll make three neutrinos from one.
So the Standard Model is in danger
It's time for a paradigm shift,
Well paradigm shift, shmaradigm pfffft,
Will you guys please get over it.
Any idea how the story will end?
Big crunch, cold death, lost souls?
Or a slipper slide to a new universe
Through a slimy little worm hole?
Which confirms my general suspicion
That reality is just theory for this bunch
Waves are particles, particles are strings,
And the universe is the ultimate free lunch.
Leslie C. McKinney, Ph.D.
Neurobiologist
copyright 2001
I can never get over how good this is!
The Fate of the Universe
You physicists have become annoying
You can't seem to make up your minds
Did everything come from nothing
Or was nothing all there was to find?
What was that first singularity
And what made it start to inflate?
You say a vacuum is not really empty
As long as energy potentiates?
At time zero there was zero space
But fluctuation took care of that
Now there's space of an ill-defined shape
That's full of live/dead cats.
Continuing on you tell us
That we're here cause CP ain't conserved
I never thought of myself as a leftover
This is becoming absurd.
But the universe is here now
At least part of it, I guess,
How is it you can't find the dark matter
To account for the missing mass?
And what is this dark energy
Permeating like a fog?
Einstein was shamed by his fudge factor
But you've brought it back in vogue.
The news from Canada is distressing
There are too few neutrinos from the sun
But physicists aren't constrained by facts
They'll make three neutrinos from one.
So the Standard Model is in danger
It's time for a paradigm shift,
Well paradigm shift, shmaradigm pfffft,
Will you guys please get over it.
Any idea how the story will end?
Big crunch, cold death, lost souls?
Or a slipper slide to a new universe
Through a slimy little worm hole?
Which confirms my general suspicion
That reality is just theory for this bunch
Waves are particles, particles are strings,
And the universe is the ultimate free lunch.
Leslie C. McKinney, Ph.D.
Neurobiologist
copyright 2001
Friday, October 12, 2007
Best American Science Writing 2007 – Gripping and Relevant
With a multitude of diverse stories about the latest discoveries in science, what ties them all together and stands out as the single unifying theme in the entire Best Science Writing 2007 collection is the humanistic angle within it all.
“The articles show what a human endeavor science is, and, in the hands of these skilled reporters, what memorable tales can be told,” said Editor Gina Kolata in her introduction to the the book.
The stories talk. Many of the descriptions are absolutely raw. Some even hair-raising.
The reader is lost deep in the middle of the story and a strong connection with the patients, scientists or doctors established.
The articles often leaves you with more uncertainty, and more questions, than answers.
Stereo Sue
Early into the book, world famous neurologist Oliver Sacks is introduced with his “Stereo Sue” story. Stereo Sue is the story of a neurobiologist who (believe it or not) having had two-dimensional impaired vision her entire life, just discovers that Nature meant vision to be three-dimensional when her sight is improved by surgery. As she watches her first snowfall in its right dimensions, and observes the air between chairs in a seminar room or the way a partially open door sticks out in a room when she is about to enter it, the reader travels with her in her journey from a flat to a “raised” world.
The Score
Well known doctor and acclaimed reporter for the New York Times, Atul Gawande’s “The Score”, bloody at places makes your blood freeze at places too. Not recognized for what it truly entails, the process of child-birth is unveiled for the reader, contraction by contraction. Gawande underscores something that is becoming increasingly more common knowledge, yet often escapes the attention of doctors and that of society as a problem – the number of mothers that die during delivery is enormous both in the country and in the world. To say nothing of the number of babies that are stillborn. As he describes the story of Elizabeth Rourke, an expecting mother who is almost 40 hours into labour with little chance of the baby coming out, she finally takes an epidural after prolonged abstinence, and when even that doesn’t help, she gets surgery to get the baby out, the reader is with Rourke the entire time. Her example is used well to illustrate the manifold complications and difficulties encountered in the journey of the baby from the uterus to the world.
Probing a Mind for a Cue
In an era where research is dominated by the mysteries of the mind and the unearthing of these mysteries, “Probing a Mind for a Cure” by Stacey Burling is apt. In talking about how a gentle professor who loved Mozart and ice cream slowly deteriorates to showing violent behavior and being delirious as he develops Alzheimer’s disease in his 60s, the surprise and dismay of his family and physicians is captured. The story takes the reader from the doctor that is slicing the professor’s brain after his death and looking for all the signs that could tell him what went wrong with it, to the family’s coping mechanisms with the illness which culminates in their gratitude when he finally dies.
A Depression Switch
As if these stories were not enough, the next story called “A Depression Switch” is by David Dobbs, and stands out in the entire collection as the single most horrifying and mysterious read. The human brain is remarkable. Until it stops working right. Neither do scientists really understand how the brain works when it does, nor do they understand what goes on exactly when it doesn’t. This given, the story of a healthy woman in her 40s who became irretrievably depressed for no apparent reason at all hits you hard with its highs, lows, uncertainties and hopelessness. Someone who lived a happy, stable and comfortable family and work life and had three kids and good money, suddenly becomes so emotionally numb that she doesn’t think she can go on. Anti-depressants don’t work on her and when her desperation crosses all limits, her brain is given mild electric shocks in a high risk, no guarantee procedure by drilling holes deep into her skull while she is awake under only local anesthesia so that she can describe to the doctor how she feels when the electrical stimulation is applied to her brain. The doctor tells her to report everything she feels without making judgments about what is trivial like the urge to scratch her nose. He has to gauge from her responses if the procedure is helping her regain her emotional disconnectedness. At some point, when “area 25” in a deep and central part of her brain is given a shock, she suddenly stops feeling the emotional numbness she has for years. With that, the surgery is declared a success, though a temporary one. Doctors say she will be back. This story is so compelling, that reading it without intensely wondering what the human mind really is, is a challenge.
The Man on the Table Was 97, But He Devised the Surgery
Late into the book, Lawrence Altman’s “The Man on the Table Was 97, But He Devised the Surgery” is presented. This story is that of a 97-year-old world-renowned heart surgeon who experiences an intense chest pain and thinks he is going to die, but ultimately diagnosis himself correctly and gets surgery using the same procedure he had devised decades ago. The professor, who later admits that he was in denial, refuses any treatment for several days and even lectures at a seminar with the condition. To add to the drama, the surgical team performing the surgery has to debate until the end whether or not it is ethical to go ahead with the procedure given his age which makes the procedure too risky to perform and the fact that he once signed an agreement saying he would rather die than have surgery performed on him. The team is divided on their opinion. The hospital’s anesthesiologist refuses to anesthetize the patient and a different one from another hospital has to be called for when the surgery is ultimately performed. The reader is on the edge of their seat waiting to find out whether or not he makes it. He does and even goes back to almost a full day’s worth of work the Friday after.
With Lasers and Daring, Doctors Race to Save a Young Man’s Brain
“With Lasers and Daring, Doctors Race to Save a Young Man’s Brain” by Denise Grady is a relevant addition to the collection and describes step-by-step the process of performing brain surgery. The story starts with the shaving of the skull of a patient to the painting of a bright purple line from the middle of the head down to the neck, to the anesthesia, and the four holes drilled into the patient’s head to attach him to a metal board so that the doctors get their “bearings” on the head right. It goes on to describe the anxious anticipation the chief surgeon experiences post-surgery and finally to the part when the patient is purposely startled and woken up from his deep sleep with a question by his surgeon to check if his basic reflexes still work, which is the only way to know how well the surgery went.
About the Contributors
An “About the Contributers” section serves well to satisfy readers’ curiosity about the writers which range from full-time doctors to reporters for the New York Times.
Editor Gina Kolata is an award-winning writer for the New York Times. She has also authored several books, including the bestselling Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It.
Venomous jellyfish to the rescue
4/10/2007
By Jigyasa Jyotika
WisBusiness.com
MADISON -- In collaboration with a UW-Milwaukee lab, a Wisconsin biotech company is developing a compound from a protein found in jellyfish to act as a neuro-protective agent which may be effective in treating neurodegenerative diseases.
The neuro-protectant called aequorin could fight a whole series of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other rare neuro-degenerative diseases.
“Testing of aequorin has yielded some very promising results,” said Mark Underwood, president of Quincy Bioscience.
Assistant professor and collaborator James Moyer of UW-Milwaukee showed that when he subjected rat brain cells to “stroke conditions” in the lab, up to 28 to 45 percent of the cells treated with aequorin survived without any residual toxic side effects.
Moyer’s team is now testing the protein in healthy young animals to assess whether it helps them learn and retain their memory as they age.
Underwood became interested in aequorin during his undergraduate years majoring in psychology at UW-Milwaukee after reading an article that linked the stings of jellyfish with the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a disease that affected his mother.
What does a protein from a venomous jellyfish have to do with neuro-degenerative diseases? The answer has to do with calcium and calcium imbalance in the body.
Calcium is required not only for bone growth but also for communication of neurons in the brain; learning and memory are not possible without it. But during aging and in neuro-degenerative diseases excessive inter-cellular calcium builds up and excites brain cells causing them to short circuit and eventually die.
Cells normally control calcium influx via calcium-binding proteins that selectively bind to it preventing the calcium imbalance. Loss of these proteins is the common denominator between aging and the neurodegenerative disease process.
Aequorin is a calcium-binding protein that is similar in structure to its corresponding human protein and by selectively binding calcium, it acts as a “surge protector” preventing excess calcium buildup. While jellyfish inject their prey with calcium and kill them via calcium mediated cell death, they use high quantities of aequorin to protect themselves from circulating high calcium levels in their bodies.
In 2004, Underwood turned his idea of using aequorin as a neuroprotectant into a business plan. Quincy Bioscience was founded in concert with Mike Beaman, owner of the Quincy Resource Group, after recombinant techniques to make proteins in huge quantities were born. Underwood declined to discuss the amount and source of equity financing received by the company, but said it is privately funded.
Aequorin has been used as a toxicity indicator in scientific research for 40 years, but until now it has never been investigated for its therapeutic qualities. That is why Underwood’s idea qualified for patent protection. But properties about its toxicity, availability, manufacture, and its selective calcium binding property were already known when the business started.
Because the basic properties of the protein were well known before the company was started, Quincy Bioscience at three years old is at the eight-year mark in the typical 15-year cycle for new drug development. The company expects to launch Prevagen (the aequorin dietary supplement that keeps 55 percent of the cells treated with it alive, compared to a placebo) in the market as early as September this year. The pharmaceutical aequorin product is in the pipeline, but about seven years away from the market, Underwood estimated.
Quincy business cards and the company website both read: “It can be done.” That’s in solidarity with President Ronald Reagan, who died the same day the company was founded – June 7, 2004. With the kind of data that experiments are showing so far, that motto may very well come true.
By Jigyasa Jyotika
WisBusiness.com
MADISON -- In collaboration with a UW-Milwaukee lab, a Wisconsin biotech company is developing a compound from a protein found in jellyfish to act as a neuro-protective agent which may be effective in treating neurodegenerative diseases.
The neuro-protectant called aequorin could fight a whole series of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other rare neuro-degenerative diseases.
“Testing of aequorin has yielded some very promising results,” said Mark Underwood, president of Quincy Bioscience.
Assistant professor and collaborator James Moyer of UW-Milwaukee showed that when he subjected rat brain cells to “stroke conditions” in the lab, up to 28 to 45 percent of the cells treated with aequorin survived without any residual toxic side effects.
Moyer’s team is now testing the protein in healthy young animals to assess whether it helps them learn and retain their memory as they age.
Underwood became interested in aequorin during his undergraduate years majoring in psychology at UW-Milwaukee after reading an article that linked the stings of jellyfish with the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a disease that affected his mother.
What does a protein from a venomous jellyfish have to do with neuro-degenerative diseases? The answer has to do with calcium and calcium imbalance in the body.
Calcium is required not only for bone growth but also for communication of neurons in the brain; learning and memory are not possible without it. But during aging and in neuro-degenerative diseases excessive inter-cellular calcium builds up and excites brain cells causing them to short circuit and eventually die.
Cells normally control calcium influx via calcium-binding proteins that selectively bind to it preventing the calcium imbalance. Loss of these proteins is the common denominator between aging and the neurodegenerative disease process.
Aequorin is a calcium-binding protein that is similar in structure to its corresponding human protein and by selectively binding calcium, it acts as a “surge protector” preventing excess calcium buildup. While jellyfish inject their prey with calcium and kill them via calcium mediated cell death, they use high quantities of aequorin to protect themselves from circulating high calcium levels in their bodies.
In 2004, Underwood turned his idea of using aequorin as a neuroprotectant into a business plan. Quincy Bioscience was founded in concert with Mike Beaman, owner of the Quincy Resource Group, after recombinant techniques to make proteins in huge quantities were born. Underwood declined to discuss the amount and source of equity financing received by the company, but said it is privately funded.
Aequorin has been used as a toxicity indicator in scientific research for 40 years, but until now it has never been investigated for its therapeutic qualities. That is why Underwood’s idea qualified for patent protection. But properties about its toxicity, availability, manufacture, and its selective calcium binding property were already known when the business started.
Because the basic properties of the protein were well known before the company was started, Quincy Bioscience at three years old is at the eight-year mark in the typical 15-year cycle for new drug development. The company expects to launch Prevagen (the aequorin dietary supplement that keeps 55 percent of the cells treated with it alive, compared to a placebo) in the market as early as September this year. The pharmaceutical aequorin product is in the pipeline, but about seven years away from the market, Underwood estimated.
Quincy business cards and the company website both read: “It can be done.” That’s in solidarity with President Ronald Reagan, who died the same day the company was founded – June 7, 2004. With the kind of data that experiments are showing so far, that motto may very well come true.
Loneliness "Makes Molecular Noise" ...
Chronic loneliness is bad for your health
By: Jigyasa Jyotika /The Daily CardinalEric Hoffer, an acclaimed American social writer during the late 1950s through early 1970s, once wrote, “It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise.”
Last month, a group led by UCLA scientists discovered loneliness can also wreak havoc at the molecular level.
While everyone feels lonely from time to time, researchers say incessant feelings of loneliness can significantly weaken one’s immune system and lower defenses against a variety of diseases.
“This pilot study provides the first indication that gene expression is altered in human beings who experience chronic social isolation,” said Louise Hawkley, a research scientist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study.
The study showed that DNA from the immune cells of those with chronic loneliness differs from the DNA of healthy patients. According to researchers, the difference in DNA between the groups predisposed the chronically lonely to an increased risk of developing heart disease, viral infections and cancer.
Researchers evaluated participants’ feelings of loneliness through a survey, where they were rated high on the loneliness index if they responded positively to statements such as “I’m alone in the world” and “There’s no one I can count on.” Each participant’s loneliness was assessed based on his or her interpretation of feelings of loneliness, regardless of the number of people involved in the participant’s life.
Based upon their responses to the loneliness questions, the UCLA team ranked the male and female participants from most lonely to least lonely and compared the white blood cells of eight people who scored in the top 15th percentile of loneliness and six who scored in the bottom 15th percentile.
To compare the DNA in the white blood cells of lonely and healthy participants, scientists used DNA microarrays, a method that enables researchers to sift through the genetic information of cells. Microarray analysis revealed more than 200 genetic differences between the two groups.
According to Louise Hawkley, a research scientist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study, genes responsible for the body’s inflammatory response were “over-expressed in lonely individuals but those involved in anti-viral responses and antibody protection [were suppressed].”
“The differential pattern of gene expression indicates a systematic amplification of inflammatory and immune responses that could potentially mediate the increased risk of inflammatory disease in socially isolated human beings,” Hawkley said.
According to the results of the UCLA study, the differences in gene expression between lonely and healthy participants were independent of other known risk factors for inflammation such as health, age, weight and medication use. The changes were also independent of the objective size of the social network of the subject.
Researchers agree these findings provide a molecular framework to explain how social factors are linked to an increased risk of disease.
“The study uses cutting edge technology and shows that genes are not hard-wired,” said Jack Nitschke, a UW-Madison assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology. “[Gene] expression is turned on or off in response to environmental events.”
While the loneliness study may help researchers block the adverse health effects of social isolation in the future, this study represents only the first of many necessary steps in the right direction.
Four-legged “Rain Man” provides new directions for autism research
While searching for a mouse that exhibits the behaviors commonly seen in patients with autism, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have stumbled upon a super smart yet socially awkward mouse similar to the loveable Raymond from the 1988 movie “Rain Man.”
Researchers hope the discovery of the “Rain Man” mouse will offer new insights into understanding autism, a disease that impacts more than 1.5 million people in the United States.
Autism is a complex brain disease caused during development and characterized by abnormalities in brain structure and function. According to Ellis Weismer, a UW-Madison professor of communicative disorders, autistic patients typically exhibit deficient communication, repetitive behavior and impaired social interactions.
Some scientists believe a patient’s genes may be partly to blame for autism. To better understand the genes implicated in autism, researchers study genetically engineered mice to express the common behaviors observed in patients with the disease.
Previous studies have led researchers to believe some cases of autism are linked to genetic mutations in neuroligins, molecules which adhere nerve cells together. Researchers at UT-Southwestern Medical Center administered a mutated human form of the neuroligin-3 molecule to mice and observed how the mice interacted socially with the normal mice in a cage.
While the average mouse spends time playfully wrestling and snuggling with other mice, the genetically engineered mice spent significantly less time socializing with other mice and more time with inanimate objects instead.
When it came to “mouse smarts,” the genetically engineered mice outdid their normal counterparts significantly in a “spatial ability” test. Although unproven in mice, spatial and mathematical abilities are linked significantly in humans, explained Thomas Südhof, a UT-Southwestern molecular genetics professor and senior author of the study.
“When you manipulate a brain, you usually don’t improve it,” Südhof said. “The fact that we get an improvement at all is very good. It shows we’re changing something specific.”
Researchers also examined how a mutated form of a brain molecule that helps bind nerve cells together affects brain signaling. In healthy brains, nerve cells work together to excite and inhibit brain signaling. An imbalance in signaling is thought to be involved in autism.
Nerve cells from the genetically engineered mice showed a significantly greater inhibitory action than their normal counterparts. This finding was a surprise, as previous studies have indicated that a loss of inhibitory action is possibly involved in autism.
“The results of the study are important because they show us how autistic symptoms are possibly generated by the developing brain and indicate that focusing on inhibitory action might be a way to treat autistic behaviors,” Südhof said.
While the UT findings offer new directions for autism research, Südhof cautioned that the “Rain Man” mouse offers only an approximation of a human condition.
“[Mouse models of autism are] an attempt to replicate, as best we can, a complicated disease that has, as a symptom, an inability to use language effectively,” Südhof said.
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